At a time when firms need to move forward if they are not going to be left behind, fast-growing west country law firm Everys outlines the benefits of integrating case and practice management systems since going live with SOS Connect last year.

Paul Gilbert, chief executive of LBC Wise Counsel, argues that lawyers have been sucked into feeling the need to exceed expectations, when all clients want is for them to meet expectations. In fact, exceeding them could be bad for business.

Insurance mediation does not sound like the kind of thing solicitors do, but in fact many are involved in it and their knowledge of the rules around it are often sketchy. Alan Bannister of Vizards Wyeth outlines the main issues.

To address a profoundly changing legal landscape, law firms and corporate counsel are exploring new models for delivering legal services. One of the most compelling legal service delivery models will be outsourcing. Here are Fronterion’s Top Ten Trends for Legal Outsourcing in 2010.

Probate and estate administration services should become reserved legal activities, the Legal Services Consumer Panel has recommended. It follows the panel’s call last year for will-writing to be regulated as well, which sparked a formal LSB investigation into the issue.

The Legal Services Board should have its budget slashed so as to rein in its ambitions to move beyond a supervisory role, the Law Society has claimed. However, the SRA, CILEx and Council for Licensed Conveyancers have been more measured in their criticism.

The barrister acting for shareholders suing RBS and Tesco has been appointed as lead counsel for the potential group action being brought against Quindell. Your Legal Friend – the consumer brand of Liverpool firm Camps – has already registered more than 500 shareholders interested in joining the action

The Law Society and Bar Council’s call for the government to return large swathes of regulation to them is self-serving and aims to restrict competition, the chairman of the Legal Services Board has claimed.

Over-50s specialist Saga has today launched a new range of legal services which it claims aims to make the market “more straightforward in terms of charges, language and accessibility” – and has also applied for an alternative business structure licence.

The Solicitors Disciplinary Tribunal has made unprecedented public criticism of the Solicitors Regulation Authority over how it presented last week’s decision to fine US law firm Locke Lord a record £500,000. It accused the regulator of issuing “inaccurate and misleading quotations” to the media.

An alternative business structure with access to clients with assets of more than £13bn has been launched by the Country Gentlemen’s Association, whose members who are mainly landowners, farmers, and retired military personnel.

The trial of a large-scale ‘crash for cash’ gang which used accident management companies to funnel 111 fraudulent claims to 16 insurers has ended with five defendants found guilty of conspiracy to defraud, on top of seven who had already admitted their involvement.